Comments on: How a menu can make you order what the restaurant wants you to

By: Dag

Dag — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 12:55:33 +0000

Brilliant! Thanks for this – I’m going to check out the book, too.

By: Fryan

Fryan — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:31:24 +0000

This makes sense to me. Over the years my wife and I have been to some (expensive) restaurants where the menu given to her is WITHOUT any prices at all (I’m guessing so she won’t be influenced by the price!) But she is unable to order without sneaking a peak at MY menu first, to check those prices) Interesting psychology isn’t it?

By: Rick

Rick — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:51:19 +0000

We were just talking about this subject last night while out for dinner at our favorite place. We were noticing how some things on the menu are buried and invisible, while others seemed to pop off the menu at us. This is very interesting stuff – well done. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

I’m a brand new subscriber – I really enjoy your website.

By: Sahan

Sahan — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:59:11 +0000

I can’t believe that my neighbourhood cafe actually uses these marketing techniques to ‘get’ me to order their ‘high end’ bowls of chili. I order what I like – I barely pay attention to the menu, the columns, the boxes. In fact, I rarely even get to reading the menu – sometimes the chalkboard with today’s special helps me make up my mind before I even sit down. This author would say that the chalkboard is somehow a subliminal marketing device. IT’S A CHALKBOARD!

This book is an example of how much money some retailers/businesses have to throw around at these marketing consultants.

As always, you have given us thought-provoking topics here. Great water cooler conversation guaranteed!

regards,
Sahan
Sarasota, FL

By: Reg

Reg — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:36:14 +0000

Very interesting. Marketing comes in all shapes and sizes and restaurant addressess, I guess.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:41:28 +0000

This sounds complex but it is actually so simple – and it does work. Newspapers do the same thing – there are “preferred” locations on the front page that draw readers’ eyes first compared to other locations.

I like the concept of putting a crazy expensive item next to the 2nd most expensive. I have done exactly this when making ordering decisions at restaurants – shy away from the very most pricey, often go to a price point just below that one. Hmmmm…..

Thanks for this – always something of interest here on your site. Appreciate it very much.

By: C.W.

C.W. — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:02:16 +0000

No offense meant to the author of this book, but I believe that most people (or is it just me?) that go to a restaurant for a meal just want to order what they like to eat. Period.

I honestly do not believe that I have ever been “tricked” into ordering something I don’t want to order just because it’s described in the upper right hand corner of the menu!

Can this really be true? I do not think so.

I love your website because it really makes us think, even when we may not agree with what we read! Thank you.

By: Coffee Jack

Coffee Jack — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:37:22 +0000

Fascinating! And here we think a menu is just a listing of what’s cooking in the restaurant kitchen. This is pretty sophisticated marketing however – e.g. you’d see this in high-end establishments that are able to afford to hire consultants like the author of this book, but the odd thing is: now that I’ve read this piece, I’m already curious to go back to our family’s favorite neighborhood places just to see how their menus are laid out, too.

It makes sense – when you do a double take because of the high price of an item, the 2nd-highest price item right next to it can tend to look like a bargain. It’s all relative.

Very good article – thanks for sharing this with us. I’ve just started subscribing to your posts – and I look forward to each updated posting.